Good Times, Bad Times
by saleucami
Summary: It's 1977 and Dean Winchester is on his way to New York City. But while stopping in Kansas, he meets Castiel, the dedicated student in search for more adventures in his life. And he finds his adventure when he decides to take a leap of faith and go along on a roadtrip.
1. Good Times, Bad Times

_**In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man**_

It had always been something purely magic and dangerously intoxicating about the way Zeppelin made him feel. Sometimes it was relaxing and calming to hear the slow tunes ring in his ears as he was sprawled out in the backseat of his car. Other times it was excitement and adrenaline that boiled through his veins as he went way over the speed limit down a country road somewhere throughout the States. It was different when he listened to other bands, other artists. With Zeppelin it was love and it was contentment as well as jealousy and resentment. But he figured being a fan, knowing every song up to the slightest moan or sigh from Robert Plant, came with mixed emotions. The bitterness of not being more than a fan being one. The irritation of not having as much success as them being another. But those were just small details in the mixture. The biggest part of it all was satisfaction and love and nothing would change that.

Dean was someone with a line of shallow dreams he'd lined up over the years. Dreams of the future, the past, love and music. The most recent ones were about him finding his younger brother he hadn't seen since they were seperated 10 years ago. Dean was turning 11 that year and Sam was just a damn kid with no knowledge of what was going on around them. All Sam saw was that one day he had parents, the next he had new ones. Dean was left behind to solve his own shit out. So to work his situation out he became a drifter. A free spirit with a lot of bad bagage. And he settled down with a past friend of his father, Bobby, for a few years in South Dakota just to try and start his new life there.

Bobby was a mechanic as well as other things. Dean never figured out just what kind of jobs he had but either way it worked. They had a house, a home, and Bobby eventually became the father figure Dean needed to pick himself up from the rough past and move forward. He was also a great teacher when it came to cars. The crashed 1967 Impala that had been standing on the property for years became his project, and Bobby promised he could have it if he managed to fix it. And he did.

But he still wanted to help with the rent and the expenses. He turned 16 and he got himself a job at music store where he, after years not knowing about it, first heared Led Zeppelin. It had been magical and somewhat astonishing for him to hear this phenomenon called hard rock for the first time. He'd heared the Beatles before, along with other bands people called rock, but this was different. This was heavy, edgy, raw. It was heaven in the shape of long, lushy guitar solos and smashing drums. It was like blues but more sexual, more sensual, and Dean was stuck as soon as he heard the chorus in Ramble On for the first time.

But with the new love for music came the longing for something more. To see more of the country, meet new people, live life to the fullest. Which was what he did as soon as he turned 18. He packed up his things, gave Bobby a hug and a promise to return before he drove off towards new adventures.

_**Now I've reached that age, I've tried to do all those things the best I can**_

He had found his way, without knowing exactly why, back to his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas and the Impala slowed down when he passed by the old school he used to go to when he lived there with his long lost family all those years ago. But Robert Plant sang him away from anger and grief, along with Jimmy's sensual guitar, and he pushed the pedal to the floor and roared his way passed the memories to the future. He was tired from the long drive, over 15 hours, from Salt Lake City. He'd gotten up early in the morning, passed by a drive through and just kept going. He'd only stopped twice on the way, once for gas and the other for picking up something to eat, and a large glass of whiskey and a warm bed would be good right about now.

For all the years he's passed through Lawrence, nothing had changed. Everything was the same. Perfect gardens, perfect families, perfect structure of the entire town. But that was just for the outside to see. The black clouds, heavy weights of not being good enough, hidden arguments, they were all sealed away behind the perfect painted houses. Hidden behind walls so no one could see it. The people here weren't happy. No one was happy anywhere. Happiness doesn't work like that. Life wasn't meant to be a wonderful experience. Instead it was meant to be a burden and it was supposed to be dark, eating people from the inside and pressuring them to their limits. Happiness was just a small glimpse of something good to keep them from breaking. It came with a soft breeze and left with the blink of an eye.

Dean wasn't someone who believed in any happy endings or flawless people. Everyone and everything had faults. But he was content with that. Things wouldn't work without it. Every person had their insecurities, their secrets, their dreams, but no one would ever be flawless. Then there were those people who were more broken than others and tried to find a way out of the pain and the darkness. Be it suicide, addiction, self-harm. But they were out there and they shouldn't be so hidden as they were. Dean had never understood why the parents and friends of these people didn't want to show the world that they had a broken person in their lives. Like it was shameful. It was selfish, nothing else, hiding away someone who needed to be telling their story.

But that didn't mean he would be telling his. Even if he felt like the most broken one out there.

**_Good Times, Bad Times, you know I had my share_**

He slept for a good 6 hours before he woke up sometime around 9 in the morning. The motel he picked out for the night had been the first one he saw. It was dirty and hot in the room, the bed broken across so it was like sleeping with his ass on the ground, but it was good enough. He'd been to worse places. Like the one in Detroit that still had semen on the sheets and a toilet that no one had flushed for a good, long time. It had him feeling sick for weeks after that. He even slept in his car for the first couple of nights.

But this room was nice enough. Small and comfortable and with the window open it was even cool enough for him to walk around in a t-shirt and not die from the heat. He was drinking coffee by the small table with a window facing the front and he wondered if he should stay for another night and collect his strenght for the nearly 20 hour long drive to New York. He'd scrambled together enough money to buy himself a ticket to Zeppelin's North American Tour and even though he wished he had enough money to buy a ticket for all the 6 shows in Madison Square Garden he was satisfied that he even got a hold of one.

The newspaper promised wonderful weather for the next few days and with that Dean decided it wouldn't hurt to rest for a day before he continued to New York. And he was sure that the people his age would be up to something fun since it was Friday and perfect weather for a few drinks and some good music.

And he was sure they wouldn't mind if he wanted to join.


	2. The Ocean

_**Sitting round singing songs 'til the night turns into day**_

There was a laugh somewhere around him when he pulled his shirt off and threw it on the ground beside him. He didn't know who had laughed or who was singing or what the music came from, but it was beautiful. He had his eyes closed and he could feel himself smile, his cheeks hurt, but he couldn't stop. He was swaying to the soft sound of the guitar along with the sweet voice of a woman singing on the other side of the small fire in the middle of their circle. The red and yellow glow he saw through his closed eyes was blinding him, but it was too close to stop, so close he could feel it. It was so colorful, so warm.

The woman stopped singing and he twitched when he heard her yelp in surprise and joy. The blurred words she uttered, the words that had no meaning to him anymore, made him open his eyes to see instead. He could hear them, listen to what they were saying, but he wasn't sure he actually understood. But with his eyes open he could see what was happening. In the darkness beyond the light from the fire some new people were approaching. The twigs were cracking underneath their feet, the breeze from the wind reaching Dean while he stared. It was soft and danced over his cheek before it disappeared, like a gentle touch. It sent a shiver down his spine. He let out a chuckle and then a laugh. The guy beside him glanced over, smiling from ear to ear, and it only made Dean laugh more. Then it stopped, only small giggles escaping as an aftershake, and he leaned his head back to look at the sky. The stars weren't many across the black sky visible through the leaves and branches of the tall trees. But the ones he saw were stunning.

"You know... We're a part of all that. We live in all that.. Everyday." The guy beside him said with a low voice. Dean nodded and leaned further back, the log he was sitting on slipping away, people around him slipping away, everything becoming just a tingling underneath his skin. And he didn't even flinch when his back hit the ground and he huffed from the impact. Something was poking him in the back, a twig maybe, and he didn't even care. He just laughed again, the stars smiling back and twinkling across the night sky, the leaves rustling out small giggles together with him.

"Guys.. This is Terry, Lolo and Cas." Someone said in a distance. Dean thought it felt like hearing someone talk through a glass window. Low, thick. "Give them a part of our ocean.. Let them ride the waves with us."

Dean turned his eyes away from the sky to glance at the newcomers. Two smiling, one looking around curiously, but all of them standing a bit too far away for Dean to actually read them. When one of the guys, also without a shirt and his hair tangled together with grass and dirt, walked over to them with a plastic bag containing little colorful pills the guy that seemed too interested in the tents and trees politely shook his head and said something about him driving that night. Dean snorted and pushed himself up, leaning his chest against the log to get a better look.

There was something about him. The one who didn't accept the drugs, didn't even accept a beer, and just sat down with a small smile as the guitar started playing again. But there was something there. He was beautiful with a depth in his eyes that was deeper than what Dean had been watching in the sky just now. No stars, no darkness. They were pure, blue, bright. And although they weren't as big as the universe, they seemed to offer so much more. Dean couldn't stop staring.

Another breeze kissed him on the cheek. The flames continued to dance in the corner of his eyes.

After seeing the other two down their pills, smiles wider now, there was a brief pause and nods before the singing started again. Dean waved over the guy with the bag. What was his name? He couldn't remember.

"Paul.. Man."

"It's Mike, man. But Paul is cool too."

"We need to get that guy in on the wave." He said and pointed towards the clueless, stiff figure.

"I ain't forcing Cas to dance if he ain't feeling the rhythm, man."

"Get me a bottle of water and leave the bag." He muttered when he pulled him down by the neck, the sweat on their foreheads mixing when he pushed their heads together. They shared a grin and the bag fell down beside him on the dirty ground.

_**Hitting on the moonshine, rocking in the grain**_

He had smashed up and mixed three pills with the water. He knew it was cruel but he just laughed, his skin itching from joy. The music had painted up pictures in his head as he had been working on it, the breeze kissing him across the neck now, and the singing was making it hard to concentrate. But he was done now. His hands were wrapped across the plastic bottle, tight, palms wet from sweat.

It took him a minute to stand up since his legs were wobbly and slow. But he was just smiling as he gave them all a glance. The blue eyes, those two oceans of mystery, were staring at him this time. They were just as curious as they had been when the three had arrived. But then they were gone. Back at everything else. Washing over them. His head was tilted as he watched his two friends drift away from him, from all of the surroundings. But Dean would make sure he understood. The beauty, the intoxicating universe around them, the breeze that left brief kisses, the trees laughing. He would make Cas understand.

"Cas, buddy, thirsty?" He said with a smile, as he walked over, the waterbottle open as if he had just been drinking himself. He giggled, trying not to show what he was after, and then sat down beside the other with a huff. Cas looked at him with a frown. "You got nothing to worry about, man. We are as harmless as fireflies and as nice as the air around us."

"Okay... That's nice."

"Here ya go."

And he drank. Three, four, five large gulps of water and Dean was laughing and laughing. So was the others but he wasn't sure they were laughing because of the same thing. Now he would be the one to show Cas was beauty looked like in another perspective. How it looked like from the other side. How it should always be like.

"It.. Tastes a bit funny."

Dean shrugged and grinned. "Sometimes water works in mysterious ways, man. Just like in The Price Is Right.. It just.. Works."

"I don't understand that reference, but sure."

_**Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean's roar**_

Dean had dragged Cas away from the fire, from the people, into the woods. Just so he could show Cas just what he wanted to say about the wonderful life on Earth. And about the stars in the sky and the feeling of being part of it. Cas was grinning, eyes half-closed, arms spread out as he stared into the sky. Dean was watching from a few feet away with his side leaning against a tree.

He would watch the sky too if Cas hadn't been more sparkling than everything right then. But he blamed that on the drugs and the beer. The attraction. A second later Cas was spinning, around and around, and his eyes closed completely. Dean knew it was because he wanted to feel space. He wanted to feel the stars.

"It's like I can touch them with my skin." Cas sighed and let out a laugh. Dean tilted his head and smiled. "It's like they are here to.. Ah!"

He stumbled and fell and at first Dean felt a bit worried, but then he heared the hysterical laughter and joined in, the leaves rustling along. He pushed himself away from the tree and his steps were light as feathers in the wind when he walked over there to pick his new friend up from the ground. Cas had opened his eyes now and they were fixated on the sky, pupils big and mouth open.

"You okay, man?" He asked as he leaned down a bit, knees bending to get closer, hand reaching out to touch an arm.

"Here.. Watch." Cas patted the spot beside him. "Look up there."

But Dean didn't move from his spot. His eyes still stuck on the other's face. "I know."

And he did know. He knew exactly what the sky had to offer. Cas didn't argue about it. He just smiled and nodded and closed his eyes and Dean realized he still has his hand on Cas' warm arm. There were small jolts of lightning, like a thunderstorm small anough to touch, underneath his fingertips. It felt perfect, wonderful, and he knew it was mostly because of the high, the wave.

This stranger, because he was in fact a stranger, was like a new continent that Dean had never experienced before. Like he was there to explore, to take in the this new exotic land before anyone else, to find what makes this person captivate him. He didn't usually feel this way. It's the drugs, he thought, that makes me feel this way. But he wouldn't be there for long so he was going to enjoy it.

"Tell me.. Who you are." He said and shifted so he could sit down. He crossed his legs, the thunderstorm gone when he had to let go of warm skin, and he just watched as Cas opened his eyes too look at him curiously.

"Who I am?"

"Your story."

The silence was long and intense as they stared at each other. The leaves were laughing around them although there wasn't anything funny by Dean trying to sneak into Cas' head. He almost regretted it but then Cas opened his mouth and chuckled.

"I'm no one. Nothing." His face faltered a bit and Dean frowned. "Just a student."

Something in the way he said it made Dean think there had to be something more underneath it all. Something broken, dark. But he didn't ask and he didn't pressure for answers.

"I haven't left Lawrence since I was born. 20 years. That's insane." He continued and snorted. "20 years of studying, correction and church."

"You haven't even been to Kansas City?"

"Just a few times."

It was like the high was gone. Like the drug had stopped working as they started talking about private matters. Dean could still feel the fog in his head, but he tried not to, and Cas seemed to be trying hard to keep his head clear. Dean shook his head when he thought he saw something sparkle through Cas' eyes.

"Tell me your name." Cas then said and Dean twitched in suprise, noticing he had been clenching his jaw tight. "Tell me something."

"Dean. I used to live here when I was a kid." He said and smiled. "But my parents died in an accident and I moved to California."

"Alone?"

"Yeah."

"My mom wanted to name me Moses." Cas said after a brief silence and Dean tilted his head. "But my dad thought Castiel was nicer."

"Castiel." Dean muttered with a nod. "Castiel."

"Don't laugh."

"Why would I? I like it."

**_Singing about good things and the sun that lights the day_**


	3. Led Zeppelin

His hangover was so bad the day after that he couldn't get on the road. Not even if he chugged down pills and water and coffee. He was stuck in Lawrence for another day. Not that it mattered much. His newly found friends had told him to come back to their camping ground if he got bored since they would stay there for a few more nights. He'd left first that morning and roared away in his Impala when just one or two of them were up. The rest of the people were sleeping away the rush and the alcohol. The ride back to the motel was evidence enough that he shouldn't be driving since it took him double the usual time to get back. And when he got back he'd fallen asleep again as soon as he hit the mattress.

At the camp he'd woken up underneath the blue sky with mosquito bites on his arms and legs and a bundle of dark hair pushed up over the side of his face. The body beside him was close, warm and he had to think for at least a few seconds before he knew who it was. It was Cas, the guy that he had been talking to all night for no reason. They had shared life stories, jokes, dreams but they hadn't done more than that. Dean was usually someone who approached a person with a plan to get lucky. Not that he usually went for guys since most of them would find it disturbing. Society was like that.

But Castiel hadn't been pushing him away even when he kept complimenting him, instead he had told Dean all about his Christian family with strict rules and high hopes of who he would become. He wasn't like them, he had said, he wanted to see the world before he decided what he'd do with his future. Dean understood that perfectly, because he was the same in one way or another, and that created a connection between the two. They got along better than any of the people Dean had met on his trip across the country.

This morning, in his hungover state, the thoughts were a lot clearer. They might have clicked the night before, but they weren't exactly soulmates or best buddies all of a sudden because of it. It had been drugs and alcohol involved and that usually made things feel a lot more real than they usually were. Sure, Cas was a nice guy, but nothing more or less than that.

He went out a few hours later, determined to go get something to eat even though he had a headache that could kill him. He walked, although the Impala seemed to have been looking at him with sad eyes as he passed it. He hushed at it and muttered a silent 'it's okay, baby' before he kept going and walked a few blocks before he saw a small diner that seemed appealing enough. Especially since the special of the day was a BLT baguette and coffee for just a couple of dollars, which was a good deal. Well, depending on if it was delicious or not, but still. He had to eat something.

0-0-0

Hours later, when the afternoon sun had started to slowly sink, Dean was comfortably spread out over his bed in the motel watching TV. Commercials weren't really a fun way to spend the day, but he'd rather watch that than The Hulk. A man in green stockings wasn't as macho as some people found it to be. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, taking a sip from his Coke.

It had to be a early night tonight, he had to leave early tomorrow morning. And by early he meant sometime around 10 of later. At least after he'd eaten a greasy bacon breakfast.

The commercials stopped and back came the boring movie he'd been watching with his eyes half-open. A love story, boring, plain. Nothing he'd usually watch but he wasn't in the mood to change the channel. He pulled out his journal and a pen, thinking if he should write down his adventures for the past few days but decided not to. He put it away again, feeling his hand hurt from writing without even trying.

There was a knock on the door that startled him and made him pause mid-air. The white, plain wood stared back at him with as much surprise as he was feeling himself. Who would be knocking on his door in the middle of the afternoon? He got up as he swiftly glanced at the clock, 5:23 pm.

He pulled a hand through his hair, forced a black Led Zeppelin t-shirt over his bare chest and walked over to open. Still confused and a bit on edge as to who would be knocking on his door when he didn't know anyone in town. Well, except for his camping friends out in the woods.

He turned the doorknob and pulled the door open just slightly so he could peek through the small opening. Outside was the man working in the motel lobby, standing with a sour expression and his eyes oozed of boredom. Dean frowned and opened the door a bit more, frowning.

"Yes?" He muttered, confused. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"There was someone asking about you." The man said, voice bored and plain. His eyes looking through Dean instead of at him. "Wanted to know which room you were staying in. I can't give up that information, I said to him. So he told me to send you a message if you were still around."

"Okay?" Dean said, confusion evident on his frowning features, but he somehow could guess who'd been there to see him.

"The champ ain't gone yet. He's off in the lobby waiting. I said I'd go find some plain paper for his message. Went to you instead. His name's strange. Castiel. Seems strange to name one's kid like that." He muttered and Dean wasn't sure he was talking to him or to himself.

"Thank you, Rich." He muttered and smiled a bit. "I'll be there in a minute, keep him waiting."

Without a word, Rich turned and left. Muttering on his way off. Dean watched him go before he closed the door and scanned the room. It was a mess but he didn't have time to clean any of it up. He wasn't bothered by some crap scattered around the motelroom, he was more bothered as to why Cas was there to see him in the first place.

He pulled on a pair of jeans and his boots, grabbing his pack of cigarettes from the nightstand and then glancing at himself in the mirror to fix the mess he called his hair. With a sigh he checked he had the keys to the room in the pocket of his leather jacket and then headed out to see what the hell Cas was there for.

0-0-0

Castiel was seated on a small chair, flipping through the newspaper with a small frown, when Dean got there. Dean leaned against the wall, watching, with his arms crossed. Cas was wearing a pair of light-blue jeans, a white shirt buttoned all the way up, and a pair of black shoes. His hair was sort of a mess though, just like Dean's.

"Heya, Cas." He said with a small smile, not moving from his place. He said it loud enough, not sure if the other would hear him over the reading.

But Castiel looked up and met his curious gaze and he smiled as he started folding the newspaper together. Their eyes on each other. When he stood, Dean pushed himself off of the wall and took a step forward.

"Sorry to just barge over here unannounced." Cas said with an embarrassed smile. "It's just.. Well, I'm sort of forbidden to use the phone."

"Forbidden?" Dean asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, my parents found out about yesterday. Let's say I'm completely and utterly fucked."

Dean nodded and unfolded his arms. "Let's talk outside, I need a cigarette."

They walked outside together in silence. Dean not sure how to actually behave around this newly found friend of his. Not sure if it even was a friend to begin with. It wasn't like they knew each other that well at all. But some company wasn't always bad. It was nice having someone other than the Impala to talk to from time to time.

The cigarette calmed him, made him think a lot clearer. His shoulders fell back, the tension in his body oozing out of his pores. He welcomed the relaxing feeling with a small smile as he blew out a handful of smoke. Castiel watched him on the side, not saying a word. It wasn't until Dean had smoked half the cigarette that he decided to be the one to break the silence.

"So, why are you here?" He said as he faced the parkinglot, eyes on his car. He then heard the tone of his own voice and glanced at Cas. "I mean.. I'm just asking. Not to be rude or anything."

Cas gave him a small, crooked smile. "Well, to answer your not so rude question, I knew you weren't gonna stay for long."

"And you wanted some more eye-candy before I left?" Dean grinned and puffed out another cloud of smoke.

"Partly for the eye-candy." The smile grew wider. "But also because.. Well, I was sort of wondering if you would mind having a passanger."

The words made Dean halt and tense. His hand halfway up to his lips. He frowned and just stared at Cas for a long few seconds, not sure if the guy was being serious. But there was some kind of sincere blaze to his eyes.

"A passanger? You want to come with me to New York?" He asked, his voice sounding way more uncertain that he wanted it to.

Castiel nodded and looked away. "You sort of drugged me yesterday..." Dean's face fell a bit but Cas saw it and shook his head, waving his hands in a small gesture. "No, don't take this the wrong way. It made me realize that I'm missing out on being young. I'm missing out on a lot."

"So you think going to New York will change that?"

"Yes!" He nodded almost frantically, making Dean smile a bit. "New York is like the.. It's adventure all over. I bet I can stay with my brother when I get there. I just need a ride.. That's when you come in. If you'll take me with you that is."

Dean tossed the cigarette end away and hummed in thought. Would he mind having this guy with him in the Impala for 19 hours, if not more? Sharing basically everything?

"Well, I don't mind you tagging along." He shrugged and took a step out on the parking lot. "If you don't mind some Zeppelin cassettes playing on repeat the whole way."

"Zeppelin?" Cas asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

Dean thought he'd have a stroke.

"You're joking right?" Cas just shook his head, perplexed. Dean ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, eyes wide in disbelief. "You've never heard of Led Zeppelin..."

"Should I have heard of them?"

Dean twitched and glanced up, eyes a bit darker and Cas looked down with a sheepish half-smile. "Follow me. Now."

And with that Dean turned and walked off, towards his car, with Cas in his heels like an embarrassed dog about to get a lecture. A harsh one. He pulled out his car key from his leather jacket as he made his way over to the driver's seat. Cas stopped on the opposite side. Dean didn't look at him until he had unlocked the car.

"Get in." He said simply, his tone a bit angry but still dripping with disbelief. Cas obeyed and sank down on the passanger seat with a small huff. Dean got in with ease and slammed the door behind him. "Okay, I want you to be honest with me."

"O..kay?"

"If you don't like it.. Tell me."

And with that he just nodded and turned the car on. The engine roared to life and Dean knew his baby was pleasantly stretching her machinery with a satisfied rumble. He leaned towards Cas to open the glovebox and pulled out a cassette marked "Zeppelin". Cas had the time to notice other one's marked somewhat the same.

He leaned back after putting the cassette in the player, a small smile playing at his lips. He decided to fast forward to "Dazed and Confused" to let Cas hear the band for who they were. Gods. He pushed play after a while, knowing by now how to get from one song to another with ease. Listening to these tapes long enough would make one learn when to pause and play. Cas seemed a bit stiff, staring at the tape player with his hands in his lap. Dean closed his eyes when the tunes began to stir through the speakers, the sound of the engine purring in the background just making the whole thing ten times better.

He hummed along, sang a few lines, his eyes closed and his head leaned back against the seat. It was always magic when it came to hearing his favorite music in the car. It was all a matter of perfect sync between him, the car and the tunes. Like they all just worked and played and existed in perfect harmony.

When enough time had passed, he opened his eyes to glance at Cas. The other was still a bit stiff, but the eyes had shifted to look through the front at the building and his head slowly bobbed along to the music. He looked, ironically enough, dazed and confused as to how he should feel about the music. Maybe it was just his face and he hated it, maybe loved it, maybe neither. Dean wasn't quite sure.

After a minute more he lowered the volume and Cas turned to look at him.

"Well?" He said, grinning. Cas smiled his crooked, small smile again.

"It's nice. Different." Came the muttered response. "I've never heard music like this before. It sounds like something you would get easily lost in."

"Well, aren't you quite the thinker." Dean said, but his voice was light and eyes bright. "It gets better. Rougher and harder. You won't find much harder rock than Zep', my friend."

"I like it." Cas said and shrugged a little. "It's edgy. Kind of dangerous."

The car purred one last time before Dean turned the engine off and pulled the key out. He turned to look at Cas who was watching him with curious eyes.

"You just got yourself a ride to New York."


	4. Night Flight

**_A/N_** - Just so you all know, I name the chapters after the Zeppelin songs I take the lyrics from. So, well, yeah. Just wanted to mention it for those of you wondering. Well, not just Zeppelin. Depends on the right type of song I find interesting enough and other things. Idk.

_**Oh, mama, well I think it's time I'm leavin' **_  
_**Nothin' here to make me stay**_

Dean stirred awake. He groaned and threw a hand at the alarm beside him on the nightstand. It got dead silent in the room when he finally managed to turn it off after a few slams and pushes. The only thing heard over the silence was his own heartbeat calmly pounding inside his ears and the faint sound of a car driving away outside. His back was aching from the uncomfortable, broken bed and he pushed himself up to a somewhat sitting position with more effort than he thought he needed. His body was heavy with sleep and ache, but that's nothing a cup of coffee couldn't cure.

The alarm beside him seemed to be grinning at him when he glanced at it. As if it enjoyed waking him up. With a scowl he stared at the numbers, his right hand pulling through his hair to make something out of what he knew was a complete mess.

The numbers turned. It was now 9:02 AM.

He'd told Cas he was leaving at 10 AM sharp as they were talking the day before. He wouldn't wait a second more for the other to show up. If he wasn't there in time, he could forget about New York. It was a bit harsh, he had to admit, but it was the truth. But he was itching to get going and leave Lawrence once and for all. He'd made a promise to himself to never set his foot there again once he was out of it this time. And that was a promise he was more than willing to keep. Regarding the whole passanger thing he wasn't very sure. He'd never had someone with him along the road before. He just wished this wasn't going to be something he would regret.

Cas had been radiant after Dean said he could come along to New York. He'd been practically beaming at everyone and everything, talking about all the things he'd been reading about. All the places he wanted to see. Dean hadn't said much about it at all. He'd been to New York before. It was, indeed, a city of adventure. But also a city filled with scum. Dean wasn't entirely sure Cas would handle a city like that on his own.

Well, he did say he had a brother so entirely alone wouldn't happen. But still.

The water in the bathroom refused to go beyond lukewarm while he took a shower. He stepped out feeling frozen but awake. As he got dressed he made a quiet check list in his head to what they had to buy for the road so they wouldn't have to stop until at least St. Louis. Which was about 5 hours away more or less. It couldn't be that hard to stay on the road for 5 hours straight without stopping. Besides, he'd filled the tank up on the Impala the night before so they were ready to rumble.

He settled with a pair of jeans, a plaid shirt in green, white and blue and a pair of black boots he'd had since forever. He packed away his jacket and his other clothes in the duffle bag along with his things. It was too hot outside to wear a jacket anyway, so he wouldn't be needing that.

When he was done packing and made sure he had the car keys in the pocket of his jeans, he sat down for a cup of coffee. The sun was already high on the summer sky, clouds barely around in more than a few, thin stripes across the sky. He sipped his coffee in silence and glanced at the alarm again, it was about ten minutes to ten.

**_Whoa, mama, well it must be time I'm goin' _**  
**_They're knockin' down them doors_**

Five minutes later, Cas was banging on the door. Dean had to hold back a sigh. It sounded like the guy was excited, angry and impatient all at the same time. For a second Dean even thought the door would fly off its hinges.

He pulled it open and stepped back, walking back into the room to throw the rest of the coffee away and grab his things. Cas stepped inside with a grin, a navy green duffle bag hanging over one shoulder and a light brown bag hanging from the other shoulder down across his chest to his hip. His hair was a messy work of art, Dean noted and smiled a little. Black stripes standing in all possible directions. The most remarkable thing was the way he was dressed though. A dark blue suit underneath a beige trenchcoat that was way too big for him in the first place. Dean raised an eyebrow as he threw the bag over his shoulder and grabbed a plastic bag of his wet shower things in the other hand.

"Good morning, Mr. Big Shot.. How's the taxes coming along?" He chuckled out and shook his head. Cas frowned and tilted his head, not getting it. Dean just sighed but kept smiling as he pointed at the tie. "What's with the sex hair and the dress-up?"

Cas looked down and let a hand press down over the buttons on the lining of the coat before he looked up with a sheepish smile.

"This? This is for school." He muttered slowly and then put a hand on his head, ruffling it around even more. "And this is... A mess."

"Ah, got it. So they've got no clue you're leaving?" Dean asked as he walked back towards the door, waving for Cas to turn around and get out. "You don't think they'll call the cops?"

"Well, I thought about it.." Cas began as he moved out of the motel room, Dean walking out after him. He paused as Dean locked the door and continued as soon as they made eyecontact. "So I decided to write a letter and leave it on my bed to explain my actions."

"A letter?"

"Yeah, 6 pages." He said and smiled brightly, like he was proud of himself. Dean shook his head again and snorted.

"Wow. 6 pages to explain why you're running away with a complete stranger to New York. I hope that covers it." He said, sarcastic, as they moved out towards the parked Impala. The weather was indeed hot and made Dean's skin tingle with warmth as soon as he stepped out in the bright sunlight. Cas followed with his eyes on his feet.

"I said I would be visiting Gabriel and that you were a friend, not a stranger." He said then and looked up. Eyes squinting in the light. "They will be furious. But Gabriel knows I'm coming."

"I thought you didn't get to use the phone."

"I used it anyway. In secret when my parents went out and my other brothers were busy cleaning their rooms."

Dean hummed and unlocked the car and threw his bags to the backseat. It was a sauna inside it, hot as hell and the leather seats were like sitting down on a fire. Dean shifted and made a face at the feeling, but leaned back in his seat to roll the window down. Cas opened the passanger door and sank down beside him, throwing his bags back in the backseat as well. He closed the door with a bang and rolled his window down as well, glancing around the car like he'd never been inside it before.

"What did you brother up in New York say?" Dean said as he turned the engine on.

"He told me to call from a booth when I was in the city. And to, well, give my parents the finger." He muttered as the car jolted forwards. Dean snickered. "There are no seat belts in this car."

"I took them out. They're just in the way."

"Well, they're not in the way if we crash. I'd like it more if they stopped me from going through the front window." He muttered, frowning. Dean just shrugged.

"Life's an adventure, babe." He said as the car drove out on the main street. He gave Cas a quick grin and turned the volume up, the cassette from yesterday still inside and Robert Plant came screaming through the sound of the Impala's loud brumming. "Don't know where you're goin', only know just where you've been, Sweet little baby, I want you again." He sang loudly with his hands drumming on the wheel. Cas' frown broke and his face turned into a wide smile.

"New York!" He suddenly exclaimed loudly and laughed. Dean grinned.

"New frickin' York!"

_**So I said goodbye to all my friends **_  
_**And packed my hopes inside a matchbox **_  
_**'Cause I know it's time to fly**_

3 hours later Cas had taken off his trenchcoat and his jacket, leaving only his white button up and his his tie. Although the tie was untied and the two top buttons unbuttoned. Dean had gotten rid of his plaid shirt as well, sitting now in only a black t-shirt. Even with the wind blowing through the window it was hot and Dean had already gone through three bottles of water and two cokes. Cas was only on his second bottle of water, not really as bothered by the heat as Dean.

They hadn't been silent for more than a few minutes during the entire ride. Cas had told him about his brothers and his sister and his parents. How they were all named after religious characters. Someone was named Zachariah, someone Raphael and the sister was named Mary after virgin Mary. It was all just one big bundle of Christianity. They ate Sunday dinners together every week, they always said grace and their parents wanted them to go to church at least three times a week. Dean couldn't imagine being part of anything like that. And it seemed like Cas couldn't be more happy to stop being a part of it.

Cas didn't say he wasn't religious. But he didn't believe in the bible or God as the world viewed this creator of mankind. He didn't despise people for being against religion or homosexual or for doing drugs or drinking alcohol. He didn't see those things as things that could make the world worse. He focused on putting his judgement on people who used violence, raped, murdered. Those were the people he disliked in the world. Cas was more open minded than most people Dean had met. He believed in not judging anyone or anything and that if they were looked after by someone up above, this said entity wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. He saw God as just a creator of mankind that had done his job and now watched his children make their own paths and supported them in all that they were.

Dean couldn't argue that he was wrong. He thought the view Cas had on religion was what everyone else should have. So he simply listened without mentioning anything and only said he didn't believe in anything when he was asked. Cas had just nodded and smiled.

"So you don't believe in anything and you don't like to talk about yourself?" Cas said and gave him a smile as he took another sip from his bottle of water. Dean gave him a look and just shrugged.

"I believe in freedom and peace." He muttered slowly. "Bobby fought in Vietnam and has told me stuff about it. It's nasty business. So I believe in peace and freedom and that's everything I'm willing to put my belief in."

"Who's this Bobby?" Cas asked, sounding curious, his tone soft.

"He's the dad I never had." He said and smiled a bit. "Moved there back in '71 when I was 15. He'd gotten out of the war around the time I lost my parents back in '67 because of an explosion that almost took his leg off. He got stitched back together though, just has a small limp in his walk."

"Gabriel and Zachariah also fought in the war." Cas said and smiled a bit. "Gabriel wanted to go in 1970 when he turned 18. Zachariah joined back in '67. So he got in when Bobby got out."

"Seems like it." Dean muttered and got silent for a while before he sighed and turned to Cas with a sheepish smile. "Want to talk about something less depressing?"

Cas laughed and nodded. "Yes, please. Like how you got this car if you grew up without a lot of money."

"Well, I got it through hard work." Dean said and caressed the wheel with a fond smile. "Brought this beauty back to life with my own two hands. If I hadn't been there she'd still be rusting away in Bobby's backyard."

"You mean you built this?" Cas said, eyes wide in surprise as he looked around the car once again. Dean laughed.

"No, I didn't build it. I restored it from crap to gold." He patted the wheel gently. "V8 327 4 Barrel engine, 275 BHP, 3-spd auto transmission. It's a babe."

"I don't understand any of that. But it's a nice car even if it's kind of loud." Cas said and smiled at the excited grin on Dean's face.

"Loud? Oh, no. This baby does nothing but purr."

Castiel just shook his head and looked away from Dean who was patting the wheel, still grinning.

**_We are in the middle of a change in destination _**  
**_When the train stops, all together we will smile_**

Dean took a bite out of his double cheeseburger and moaned in satisfaction. He grabbed his coke and took a long, big gulp through the straw before he swallowed and sighed loudly. Cas was eating his fries one by one in small bites, glancing at him from the passanger side with a raised eyebrow. They had parked in the McDonald's parking lot right outside of St. Louis so Dean could finally go to the bathroom. After that they decided to eat something before continuing on with they journey.

Cas took out his burger and unwrapped it carefully before he took a small bite and whiped his mouth with a napkin directly afterwards. Dean chuckled with his mouth full as he looked at his passanger. Cas shook his head, amused.

"You eat like a pig." He muttered as he took another bite from his burger.

"And you eat like a girl." Dean answered as he took a handful of fries and shoved them into his mouth.

"I don't like sexism, Dean."

"I'm just saying." Dean said with a shrug and pushed the last piece of his burger into his mouth, fingers greasy. "Would it be better if I said you eat like a rabbit?"

Cas couldn't hold back his smile but said nothing. Instead he just turned back to his fries and ate another one, making sure to take it in rabbit-bites this time. Dean let out a small laugh and slurped on his coke.


	5. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

_**Tell your friends all around the world,**_  
_**Ain't no companion like a blue eyed merle.**_

"No! No, you got it all wrong!" Dean said loudly over the music before he turned it down. He sighed at Cas' frown and put his eyes on the road again. "The singer is?"

"Jimmy.." Cas began but stopped when Dean glanced at him. "I mean.. Robert?"

"Yeah, Robert what?"

"Robert.. Plant or something?" Dean nodded and had his eyes forward again. He turned the volume up just a notch more so they could hear the song again, but not as loud this time. "And Jimmy.. Is the guitarist?"

"Exactly."

He'd been trying to teach Cas the members of Zeppelin for half an hour and Cas hadn't gotten it right even once until now. And now he was still a bit confused and rough around the edges of the whole thing, but he was getting there. They had just passed Indianapolis and were headed to Columbus where Dean decided they should spend the night. If they were lucky they'd be there around 10pm. Then from Columbus they could reach New York the next day. It was just about 8-9 hours to New York from there.

"And the drummer?" He continued. Cas frowned and glanced at the stereo. And then he just sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know." He said, tired and confused. Dean smiled slightly.

"It's not the end of the world if you don't, Cas." He said and turned his head in the other's direction. "You'll learn."

"It's driving me insane!"

"You'll get it eventually." Dean just said and waved at the glove box. "Pick out something else. Choose whatever you want."

It was not everyday Dean let the shotgun choose the music. Well, he never let anyone choose the music. But he figured Cas had deserved it for learning the chorus to "Ramble On" and gotten two out of four names down. And even if they'd been listening to the same two albums for hours he hadn't complained once. So the guy could have a moment to pick the music. Besides, Dean didn't own any bad music so he wouldn't suffer regardless of what Cas decided to pick.

Cas dug through his cassettes with a serious expression, like he was picking the music with care. Dean kept his eyes on the road. It took Cas a few minutes to decide before he took out the Led Zeppelin cassette and put in his choice. After putting the old cassette back in the glove box he leaned back and smiled to himself, seemingly satisfied with his choice. Dean glanced at the stereo when the first song started.

"Rubber Soul?" He said and grinned. Cas just smiled a little bit wider. "Good choice."

He turned the volume up a bit and hummed along to the tunes of "Drive My Car". He hadn't listened to The Beatles in a good long while and it was good hearing them after such a long time. Cas, who clearly had heard the Beatles before, was humming along too in his seat. He was bobbing his head from side to side and the smile never leaving his lips.

It was kind of strange in a way. That Dean felt like a new person in such a short amount of time. Well, not entirely different from his former self, but he did feel a lot more carefree and happy than he had felt when he was on the road alone. It was soothing and exciting at the same time, to travel with someone he didn't know but felt like he had known for years. He liked Cas. He was a strange guy but that was okay. Dean wasn't the most normal one out there either. But he had to admit that he kind of liked having someone else along with him on the road. He wouldn't mind doing more trips like this. If not with Cas.. Then maybe with someone else.

He could get the hang of this. Being friends with someone longer than a day. Well, he thought he could do it. He hadn't gotten sick of Cas so far so maybe he wouldn't get sick of him at all.

"You know..." Cas suddenly began out of nowhere. "My parents told me that listening to music like this would make me go crazy. That it would drag me in and make me change into some demon kid."

"They thought rock music would send you to Hell? No! Really?" Dean said in a sarcastic tone before he laughed. Cas chuckled beside him.

"Yeah, wow." He said and rolled his eyes. "But you know what? I don't feel different."

"Well, music does change your life." Dean said slowly, still smiling. "But not for the worse I can promise you that."

"How can songs about love send you to Hell? That's my question." Cas muttered slowly.

Dean glanced at him and was silent for a moment. Then he just turned the volume up even more and spoke over the tunes. "They can't."

**_So, of one thing I am sure - it's a friendship so pure_**  
**_Angels singing all around_**

"And then I dated this one girl called Lisa." Dean continued as he got out of the car and stretched his back. Cas was already opening the back door to get his bags. "She was a completely bipolar. She was on meds and went to therapy 3 times a week. A guy can only handle so much, you know?"

Cas hummed as he threw his bags over his shoulder and leaned down to grab his trenchcoat. "You seem to have dated very, uhm, special people." He then said with a slight frown and a voice that told Dean he was trying to make it sound less rude. Dean just laughed and shut the driver door.

"No shit, Sherlock." He muttered as he pulled his own bags out. "I don't even know how I always end up with the crazy ones."

Cas closed the door on his side and started moving around the car. "It's not that they're crazy, Dean. They're ill so it's not their fault. And as long as you didn't use them because of their unstable state.."

"Come on, Cas. I would never do something like that." Dean said and frowned as he shut the door and locked the car. Cas just shrugged with a smug smile on his face and Dean slapped him over the back of the head gently. "Fucking dick."

"You knew I was kidding." Came the amused answer just as they stepped through the doors to the motel.

It was a nice motel from the looks of it and Dean hadn't really cared as he parked outside it. But now as he stepped into the small lobby and gave it a look-over it seemed like it was one of those that could be counted as "luxurious" in the motel world. Cas was fascinated and stood still by the door to glance as his surroundings like it was nothing he'd ever seen before. Dean made his way over to the man behind the desk that glanced at them over his glasses.

"Hello, gentlemen." He said slowly and Dean gave him a smile.

"Hello right back. We'd like a room for the night." He pointed at Cas over his shoulder and the man leaned to the side to give them both a look before he nodded.

"Well, double bed or two singles?" He asked as he glanced through some kind of list.

"We'll take whatever's cheapest."

And after it was all over and done with they headed for their room. Dean finally felt that he was kind of tired after spending the whole day on the road and could use a good shower and a few hours of sleep. Cas on the other hand seemed alert and excited and not at all in the mood for some sleep. Dean figured he could read or do whatever he wanted as long as he was quiet. Or he could just sleep anyway. Lying down for a while had that effect on most people.

The room was big and shifted in colors from wine red to brown and beige and Dean hadn't stayed in a room like this in ages. The thought that this one was the cheapest they could get that night was even better. Especially since there was a TV and a kitchen area. But the best part was that there was a bathtub. Oh, Dean hadn't seen a bathtub in months. He wasn't into the whole "girly" thing with candles and fluffy bubbles, but he couldn't say he didn't enjoy to kick back and relaxe for a while in the hot water.

At the other side of the room, if you stood by the door, was the bed. Taking the cheapest room seemed to mean taking a double-bed as well. Not that it bothered him because a bed was a bed and he'd sleep anywhere at this point. And it couldn't be worse than that room in Detroit.

Cas threw his bags on the floor by the small couch and sat down with a huff. "This is great." He muttered and started playing with the armrest. Dean nodded and locked the door before throwing one of his bags up on the table in the kitchen area, roaming through it for clean clothes.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower. You gonna brush your teeth?" He said and glanced to the side to see Cas yawn. "Or are you going straight to bed?"

"I thought I'd brush my teeth and change out of these clothes." He answered and got up. Dean watched as he started undoing his shirt and nodded. "But I can brush 'em out here so go ahead."

Dean tore his eyes away from Cas' hands to meet his glance and smiled. Cas tilted his head to the side, an amused smile trying to figure out just where Dean had been staring. "Okay then."

Turning his eyes back down, Cas pulled his shirt off of his shoulders and the tie over his head and leaned over to grab a t-shirt from his bag. Dean lingered by the table and watched him with his head cocked a little to the side. Cas was more fit than he expected. He wasn't all muscles or anything like that, but he wasn't one of those with a little pouty stomach either. Dean smiled a bit.

When Cas pulled the t-shirt over his head Dean turned away and moved towards the bathroom to take his bath. Thinking he'd look like a complete creep for just standing there watching him. But Cas didn't seem to notice that he had. Or he just didn't bother about it.

**_Well, if the sun shines so bright, or our way is darkest night_**  
**_The road we choose is always right_**

The bath turned out to not be a bath after all. Dean had felt as he was stripping out of his clothes that he'd much rather just get it over and done with so he could go to sleep. So he'd taken a normal, quick, shower that made him clean and relaxed but didn't come close to how nice a bath could've been.

Moving out of the bathroom with damp hair, wearing boxers and a worn out Zeppelin t-shirt, he found that Cas had made coffee and was sitting by the table with a cup in front of him. He looked up when Dean approached, looking at his hair all the way down to his bare legs. Dean glanced down at himself before he looked up again and stretched his arms out. He made a little turn that made Cas roll his eyes but smile nonetheless. Then he turned his eyes back to the newspaper he had spread out in front of him and took a sip from his coffee.

"There's enough for you too." He said, not really focusing on anything but the article he was reading. Dean moved over to his bag and put his dirty clothes and bathroom supplies there before he zipped it up.

"I just brushed my teeth." He muttered. "I'm just gonna go to bed."

"I'll be there in a minute." Cas automatically replied and Dean nodded.

It wasn't until minutes later when he was comfortably cuddled up in the sheets on the other side of the room that he actually realized just how domestic their conversation had been. If someone else had been listening they would think him and Cas had known each other for years. And even after this short amount of time Dean hadn't once felt uncomfortable around him. And obviously it wasn't the other way around either. It was a peculiar thing. That they acted so friendly and comfortable around one another already. Dean didn't know if he liked it or found it a bit strange, but he knew one thing, and that was that Cas was cool. They seemed to get one another even without actually knowing each other. And everything just, sort of, worked in a smooth, cool way.

After a while longer, when Dean was still thinking the day over and planning tomorrow, Cas shut the light off by the kitchen area and moved across the room silently. He sighed in the dark when he had crawled into bed as well and Dean just stayed still, still having half of his thoughts on the oncoming day and their last few hours before entering New York.

"I put the alarm on 9." Dean mumbled tiredly after a while. Cas hummed in response.

"You never told me what happened with Lisa."

Dean snorted, amused that Cas would bring it back up again, and shifted so he was facing the ceiling. "Well, I said I was moving back to Bobby's even though I was just going to get out of that town. Last thing I heard anything she had been locked up in some mental institution for almost smashing someone's brains out."

"Do you think it had anything to do with you?"

"Nah, it was months after I left. From what I've heard she was fine up until that night." Cas nodded and moved as well so he could look at the ceiling too. He placed his hands on his stomach and locked his fingers together, pouting thoughtfully in the dark. Dean kept his eyes straight, one hand under his head and the other on his stomach. "Now you know the crazy tales of my dating life. Time for me to hear yours?"

Cas was silent for a while before he suddenly chuckled and glanced at Dean with his eyes glimmering in amusement. "I've had one girlfriend and dated two others for like a week. But nothing worked out."

"And you find that funny because...?"

"Because all of them were picked by my parents." Cas said and chuckled. "And all of them had a chastity rings."

Dean frowned and leaned up on his elbows as he looked down at the guy. "You're kidding."

"I think my parents didn't want me doing the filthy business before I was married." He grinned and glanced back at Dean who was still looking at him, but his frown was more amused now. Almost like he was trying to hold his laughter away from the conversation. "Didn't work so well though."

"So what? You banged someone else or the girls broke their chastity promise.. thing?"

Cas shrugged and looked back at the ceiling. "Two of them stayed true to their belief. The one I was with for almost a year broke her promise after about two months."

Dean chuckled and laid back down, staring at the ceiling. "So you're a fucking tease, is that it?"

Cas took a sharp breath before he bursted out laughing loudly. His voice danced through the room like a warm melody but in a kind of gruffy way. Dean glanced at him, he was laughing too. It wasn't until it died down and both of them had just the tiniest bit of pain in ther stomachs and traces of tears in their eyes that Cas answered.

"No." He said, pausing to let out a chuckle. "I was a scared little virgin. She was the one who jumped me."

"Seems like that was an effective promise she made." Dean snorted out and Cas laughed again but just gently and low this time.

"Very." He muttered through giggles. "But we dated for almost a year until my mom walked in on us and started yelling like she was batshit crazy. It ended with me trying to cover her up with myself while she climbed out of bed to get dressed and my family were standing in the door staring us down."

"Oh man." Dean answered, laughing.

"Didn't hear from her after that." Cas said and chuckled. "Not that I blamed her. My mom was, is, kind of insane at certain times."

There was a silence that grew after that between them. Dean was still feeling the rumble of laughter in his stomach but it never came up. Cas just took a deep breath beside him as too cool his own amusement down. Dean hadn't laughed that much in months. Not that he laughed at Cas' misfortune, he just laughed at Cas' extreme bad luck when it came down to it. And even if he sort of gloated in it he still felt just a bit bad for the guy. Mostly because his whole family was so into their thing that he couldn't be himself fully.

The didn't talk anymore after that. It was just like the conversation ended nicely and right were it should've ended. Dean fell into slumber kind of quickly after that and the last thing he actually remembered was Cas' gentle snoring beside him.


End file.
